Ferry Owner's Daughter Denied Bail in France

A French court on Wednesday rejected a bail request by Yoo Sum-na, the eldest daughter of fugitive ferry owner Yoo Byun-eon. It was her second application for bail.

Yoo Sum-na was arrested in Paris following an extradition request from the Korean government. The court can detain her for up to 40 days while it reviews her extradition.

A car owned by Yoo Sum-na, the eldest daughter of fugitive ferry owner Yoo Byeong-eon, is being towed away for investigation at the compound of a cult led by Yoo senior in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday.

The judge reviewing the bail request said the decision was based on concerns that she may flee, citing the example of her brother, Yoo Hyuk-ki, who disappeared from France when prosecutors in Korea began investigating his father.

An official at the Korean Embassy in France said Yoo Sum-na's face "hardened" when she heard the judge's decision.

Sum-na faces embezzlement or breach-of-trust charges for misappropriating W8 billion from her father's sprawling network of businesses (US$1=W1,017). She was paid a staggering W80 million a month in consulting fees for a design studio she runs.